


Serenity

by heartsignal



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band), The boyz - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-23 00:31:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15594273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartsignal/pseuds/heartsignal
Summary: Chanhee has a crush on the boy who frequents his diner. His nosy best friend gives him the little push he needs to change strangers to lovers.





	Serenity

“May I take your order?” Chanhee asked the boy sitting alone in the booth. His eyes skimmed over the menu before he looked up. “Can I just get the special please?” “One special coming up.” Chanhee said and walked back to give the chef, Juyeon, the order. While he waited he stared from behind the counter. 

He had seen the black-haired boy before. He came in twice a week, always tuesdays and thursdays, and sat in the same booth every time. He almost always ordered the special, unless he came a little earlier; then he’d order a hot chocolate with toast, bacon and eggs. He wasn’t sure why the boy would order hot chocolate in the middle of summer but he chose not to question it. There were other strange things he had noticed about the boy; a lot of the times when Chanhee would bring him his order he’d be laughing quietly to himself, looking at memes on his phone or wearing a weird ensemble, like today he donned a kermit the frog t-shirt.

He thought the boy was cute but Chanhee wouldn’t dare talk to him. He was more the type to admire from afar. He couldn’t help but be curious about the boy though. Something about him drew Chanhee in but he could never pin it down.

“Order up!” Juyeon smacked the bell and shocked Chanhee out of his thoughts. He grabbed the plate and drink and walked back to the booth where the meme boy was sitting.

“One special incoming.” Chanhee smiled and set everything down.

“Thanks.” Kevin gave a small smile back before turning his attention to the food. Chanhee reluctantly walked away.

He went back to his position behind the counter and waited to spot any other customers, occasionally glancing back to the boy’s booth.

“Any plans this weekend?” asked Changmin, Chanhee’s coworker and best friend.

“No, just sitting at home watching the Marvel movie marathon.”

“Perfect. You’re coming with me to a party tomorrow night.” Changmin smiled.

“I don’t want to.“ Chanhee whined and pouted, even crossing his arms.

“I heard a certain someone is gonna be there.” Changmin glanced over Chanhee’s shoulder to see the boy still sitting in the booth. 

Chanhee didn’t need to look back to know who Changmin referred to. Changmin always seemed to know what Chanhee was thinking before he even said it. Changmin knew about Chanhee’s ‘crush’ on the boy before he even mentioned it. He sighed knowing he wasn’t going to win if he refused. Changmin had a way of always getting Chanhee to agree to whatever plan or adventure his mind could conjure.

“Fine.” Chanhee reluctantly agreed.

“Don’t act like I’m taking you prisoner,” Changmin sent him a look. “Trust me, this will be fun.” He reassured him.

“You always say that and it never ends up being fun.” Chanhee whined.

Before Changmin could retort he was called over by a customer. He left Chanhee with a “meet me at my apartment tomorrow.” Chanhee nodded as he walked off and glanced back at the booth only to find the boy gone.

\-------------------

It was forty minutes past nine when Chanhee arrived at Changmin’s apartment. Before he got to knock on the door it swung open. “What took you so long?” Changmin grabbed Chanhee’s arm and walked towards his car, closing his apartment door behind him.

“I was getting ready, we don’t have to be early you know.” Chanhee opened the passenger’s door of Changmin’s car and got in.

“The party started almost two hours ago! Fashionably late doesn’t mean miss all the booze.” Changmin rolled his eyes and buckled up, reversing out of the parking lot.

They arrived as the clock struck ten. They parked a block away seeing as the streets were lined up with cars. The music could be heard before they could see the house. The house itself was littered with people drinking from solo cups. Chanhee scanned the front of the house. People laid on the grass, presumably passed out. Others were scattered on other parts of the lawn playing games, throwing things at each other, drinking, dancing, vomiting. Oh how he wished he had stayed home.

Changmin held Chanhee’s hand as he pulled him through the crowd as they entered the house. He led him towards the basement where the DJ was bumping the music. He recognized him from his physics class, his name was Younghoon, certified pretty boy, part time DJ. Younghoon looked up from his controller and waved to them. They waved back before heading to the bar.  
“Drink something, you gotta loosen up.” Chanhee and Changmin filled up their cups. The taste of alcohol slightly bitter and burning Chanhee’s throat. While Chanhee continued drinking, Changmin went back to the DJ booth, no doubt to flirt with Younghoon. Chanhee scanned the basement when finally his eyes landed on him. The diner boy. He sat on the couch talking to an older looking boy. The older one stood up and waved a goodbye. Chanhee drank the remainder of his cup and walked over to the boy.

“Hey, do you mind if I sit here?” Chanhee wiped his sweaty hands onto his dark wash jeans. 

“Yeah, go ahead.” Chanhee muttered a thanks and sat next to him.

His nails scraped at the cup. He wished he had filled it up before walking over here.

 _Come on Chanhee you can do this. Just talk to him_ he told himself.

“I see you at the diner a lot.” Chanhee said to him.

“Yeah, I go there on my lunch breaks. You’re always my server.” he said matter-of-factly.

“Your lunch breaks are during my shifts.” Chanhee replied.

“Yeah, I work nearby so the diner is a close and comfortable place to go.” he ran his fingers through his hair and let the hair fall back into place. 

“Ah,” Chanhee nodded. “I always see you looking at memes.” He laughed at that. Chanhee felt his heart flutter and his palms begin to sweat again.

“You must be spying on me” he narrowed his eyes and laughed.

“Of course not.” Chanhee laughed and smacked his shoulder. Chanhee was totally _not_ spying on him. Maybe he peeked a little from time to time but that was definitely _not_ spying.

Before the boy could reply the music stopped and glass shattering was heard from around the corner. People began to mumble and follow the noise into the hallway. The boy and Chanhee looked at each other before following the commotion. Chanhee dipped through the crowd to find Juyeon fighting with Jaehyun, a loud, bad-tempered student who attends the same uni all the boys go to. Through the crowd he could see Changmin and another boy, Sangyeon, trying to pull them apart. Sangyeon gripped Jaehyun by the collar and pushed him up against the wall. Changmin dragged Juyeon out to the front of the house. Chanhee hadn’t noticed but during all the noise the boy had slipped away as the crowd dispersed, not before sneaking a little gift into his pocket.  
Chanhee was too preoccupied with Juyeon and Changmin to notice. He met them at Changmin’s car where he put rubbing alcohol on a small cut on Juyeon’s arm. Juyeon winced and tried to pull away but Changmin’s grip never faltered.

“What happened in there?” Chanhee questioned.

Juyeon shook his head and took deep breaths before replying. “He started it! I was in the kitchen talking to Haknyeon and he bumped me. I thought ‘it’s fine, this place is crowded. It was probably an accident.’ Then he came back and did it again, smirked at me, and when I asked him what his problem was he said I wasn’t gonna do anything about it because I’m a punk! I tried to ignore him but he put his hands on me first. You can ask Hak.” Juyeon fumed as he recalled the situation. Chanhee rubbed Juyeon’s shoulder to calm him down.  
“I think we should leave now. Looks like the party is over anyway. I’ll drop you off.” Everyone climbed into the car and Changmin drove off. The car ride was mostly quiet, nothing could be heard aside from the wind as the car sped down the road and the low rumbling of the radio. Chanhee could barely make out the song. A Khalid song.  
They dropped Juyeon off and made the drive back to Changmin’s house. “I saw you talking to Kevin. How did that go?” Changmin said after a few minutes.

“Who’s Kevin?” Chanhee asked.

“Cute boy who’s always at the diner that you’re so crushing on.” Changmin replied.

“You knew his name this whole time?” Chanhee questioned. Kevin. He thought to himself. What a cute name. 

“Of course not,” Changmin scoffed. “I asked Younghoon. They’re both in Literature together.” he stated. “I also happen to know that he doesn’t have a boyfriend.” Changmin nudged Chanhee and laughed. Chanhee felt his cheeks heat up, a nervous laugh escaping his throat.

“How did it go though?” Changmin turned into his complex’s parking lot and parked.

“I mean it was fine. We talked a bit. We were starting to have a good conversation when the whole Juyeon-Jaehyun fight happened. I didn’t even get to say bye before he left.” Chanhee sighed.  
“Well there’s always Tuesdays.” Chanhee murmured an agreement and with that they said their goodbyes.

\-------------------

Chanhee locked the door to his apartment, slipped his shoes off and walked towards his bedroom. As he took off his sweaty clothes he heard a crumbling in his pocket. He dug his hand in, feeling a folded sheet of paper poking his fingertips. He took it out and felt for the light on the wall. He flicked it on and sat on his bed. He unfolded the paper which read ‘Call me sometime? Kev x’.

\--------------------

“What am I supposed to do?” Chanhee laid on his bed, fidgety and nervous. Kevin was interested in him? He wanted Chanhee to call him?

“Just call him tomorrow.” Changmin replied, sounding sleepy and a bit annoyed. Obviously that was the answer but that’s not exactly what Chanhee wanted to hear. What should he even say? What if the message wasn’t even for him? A million thoughts ran through Chanhee’s head as he wondered what he should do.

“Chanhee listen to me.” Changmin snapped him out of his thoughts. “Sleep it off. Call him tomorrow. I promise you, everything will be fine. What’s the worst that could happen?”  
Of course Changmin had plenty of experience in the flirting department. Chanhee? Not so much. He was kind of lanky, kind of awkward, and making the first move was definitely not something he was used to. Chanhee could think of a million things that could go wrong but he knew better than to argue with a sleepy Changmin.

“I guess you’re right.” Changmin bid him a good night and hung up.

Chanhee laid on his back staring at the ceiling.

“Hi Kevin.” he repeated to himself over and over again. He stopped when he realized he probably sounded ridiculous. Changmin was right. He should just sleep it off and deal with it tomorrow.

\-------------

The first thing Chanhee did when he woke up was stare at the number on the paper. He managed to sleep through the night but somehow was still exhausted. His head throbbed and his eyes burned whenever he closed them. He downed a bottle of water and some advil before returning to the paper. His finger traced over it as if feeling the paper would give him the answers.  
He put the paper down on the nightstand and went to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth, showered, and dressed before heading back to his room to pick up the paper. He slipped it into his jean pocket and made his way to the kitchen. He made himself breakfast and went to the living room which was a little small and overcrowded with all the furniture his mom made him keep.

He sank into the light blue couch and picked at his food. He had turned the t.v. on but all sound went to static as it reached Chanhee’s ears. He shouldn’t feel this nervous calling Kevin. It’s not like he was gonna ask him out on a date yet. They were just gonna talk. As friends. With that thought Chanhee worked up the courage to call.

He dialed the number on the paper. The phone rang. And rang. And rang. No answer.

Chanhee’s heart sank to his stomach. I should have seen this coming. He exhaled the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding in. He turned the t.v. off and threw his unfinished food in the trash. He threw himself on the bed, disappointment filling his heart and mind.

\-----------------------------

Tuesday had come faster than Chanhee had hoped. He would have to face Kevin again. As he expected, there was no call back and at this point Chanhee felt embarrassed for thinking anything could have happened.

He clocked in at the diner after his first period ended. He stood behind the counter with Changmin again, waiting for the familiar ring of the chimes that signaled a new customer. Chanhee had caught Changmin up on what happened and he almost felt like Changmin was more upset then he was. He had went on about how Younghoon told him he was such a nice, quiet guy and how he thought he’d get along really well with Chanhee.

Changmin gave Chanhee a sympathetic pat on the back as the chimes rang and in came the devil himself. “Want me to take this one?” Changmin asked.

Chanhee shook his head and made his way over to the booth. He wouldn’t let Kevin know he was affected by it so much.

“May I take your order?” Chanhee asked monotonously.

“Can you sit with me please?” Kevin grabbed Chanhee’s hand.

“I’m on duty. Are you going to order or not?” Chanhee shook his hand off.

“Please.” Chanhee’s shoulders dropped and he nodded. “My shift ends at five. Meet me outside on the dot or I’m leaving.” Kevin nodded and Chanhee turned to walk away.

“Wait! You didn’t get my order.” Kevin stated. 

“You always order the same thing anyway. I got it.” Chanhee waved him off and made his way back to the counter.

\-------------

Kevin came and went and as five o’clock hit Chanhee was out the door. He looked around and in the distance saw Kevin running towards him. He giggled to himself, thinking about how cute he looked as he ran but quickly wiped the smile off his face as he neared.

Before Kevin could say anything Chanhee was speaking.

“You know, you don’t own me any kind of explanation. I understand if you just aren’t into me.” Chanhee leaned back against the warm wood of the diner’s outer walls.  
“That’s not what I was here to say, please let me speak.” Kevin caught his breath and stood straight. “I know Younghoon told Changmin to tell you about me because Changmin bragged all about you to Younghoon and he talked to me about it. I know it was kind of a bad move to ignore your call I just didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to look bad in front of you but I guess I did that anyway,” He looked down and kicked at the pebbles near his foot. “But I’d like to make it up to you if you’d let me.”

For a moment anything Chanhee had ever stored in his brain had gone to shit. His mind went completely blank. Is he really asking me out on a date? Chanhee couldn’t believe it. He was picking at his nails when he looked back up at Kevin.

“You did seem like an asshole,” Chanhee responded “but, if you make it up to me with a date I’ll think about forgiving you.” he cracked a smile.

“Think about it?” Kevin rubbed the back of his neck.

“Hey, you’re walking on thin ice.” Chanhee laughed.

“A date it is.” Kevin walked Chanhee back to his car.

“Just please tell me we’re not coming here.”

“No! No. I have a fun idea I think you’ll like.” he reassured him.

“See you saturday, say seven?” Kevin slid his hand into Chanhee’s, briefly interlocking their fingers.

“Yeah, see you then.” as quick as he held them, he let go, patting the side of Chanhee’s car signaling for him to go.

It was only for a brief moment that they held hands. But in that moment Kevin knew he never wanted to hold anyone else’s. They both took a chance doing something they hadn’t done before and he’d be damned if he let it go wrong. He walked back to his car, the sun setting and the breeze lightly blowing at his cheek. Serenity enveloped him. 

_From now on let us know peace. Let’s be happy._

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since I've posted something here but finally I'm back with something new!
> 
> This is like the longest piece I've written ever and also the first time i've complete an m/m writing lol so I hope you enjoy and give me lots of feedback!


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